THE "LAZARUS EFFECT"

Son,
remember that in your lifetime
you received your good things,
while Lazarus received bad things,
but
now he is comforted here
and you are in agony.

Luke 16:25 (read 16:19-31) - NIV

The error of the rich man was that he was living on a "fantasy island" which is a world of false reality. He did not realize that even though he was surrounded by walls of separation from the outside, the life of the beggar, Lazarus, on the outside would affect him deeply. By ignoring Lazarus in his misery, the rich man would become even more miserable than the poor sufferer. He was unable to avoid the "Lazarus effect". When he realized the mistake, it was too late! There was no fixing.

The rich man tripped over Lazarus. In death Lazarus was lifted up to paradise while the rich man found himself in the agonies of inferno. His relative prosperity was an illusion. In the long run our welfare depends on the welfare of others. By ignoring the less fortunate than ourselves we are eventually harming ourselves. The powerful cannot remain on top of the heap at the cost of the weak forever. In the end our well-being depends on that of others. Ignoring this law of existence is to invite future tragedy. Time levels all things in the law of the universe.

Today we are witnessing the drama of the rich man and Lazarus on a global scale. The director of the drama is the god of globalization, Profit! On the stage of planet Earth there are passing unprecedented figures: predatory plundering of non-renewable resources of nature, trafficking in narcotics, counterfeit drugs, looting of public coffers, the replacement of hand labor by technology, thefts, frauds of all species. All is being done in the name of god Profit! The immediate results are wars and generalized terrorism. Back of all the exploitation and conflicts is a small group of powerfully rich people who are enriching themselves by creating billions of Lazarus people. In the end, the exploiters will also pay the price for their greed. It will be the "Lazarus effect".

The rich man's "fantasy island" paradise turned into the fire of infernal suffering. Lazarus’ hell-on-Earth was transformed into  a feast of heaven. Death was the great leveler of beings.

We are all building a paradise or a hell. The "Lazarus effect" applies to all and in all spheres of life, including the spiritual.

Many Christians have a habit of thinking that salvation is just for them! They live within the walls of their "isms" with their private God who they think is protecting them from the "Lost World" and other belief systems. Jesus told this story to good people, convinced of their own salvation and spiritual superiority. The Lazarus people of life were also listening and getting a message of hope. The Lazarus people are the ultimate winners.

LUKE 16:19-31 - NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV)

“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

“The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’

“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

“He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’

‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”